The Delves Saga
by MorteTorment
Summary: A young Elf tries to resist becoming like most of his own twisted bretheran has become. This is What a reimagining of The Dark Elf Trilogy might be like if it were in Skyrim. NOT a crossover A love letter to R. A. Salvatore.
1. Prelude

**The Delves Saga**

First time attempting a fanfic in a while. Advice appreciated. Simply telling me that you like this and would like more would mean the world to me!

 **Prelude:**

Rank: To the Deep Elf, the treacherous unnatural manifestation of the Dunmer themselves there is no more important word. It represents our religion itself. Desire overrides logic, compassion is thrown away in its face, all in the name of our daedric god Malath

Rise to power in Deep Elf society is a simple process of assassination. Malath the evil spider god is one of chaos, she and the high clerics, the true rulers of the Deep Elf. There are of course rules to this behavior. To openly slaughter invites direct vengeance, which are without mercy. to kill an ally during a chaotic conflict however, or within the shadows is something to celebrate. Investigation not what Deep Elves care for concerning justice.

Rank is the way of Malath. the desire he bestows to further the insanity. to keep her Deep Elf "childe" along their appointed course of self-incarceration. Their Dwarven wind up dolls for the Spider Queen more likely All climb her ropes, all hunt to fulfill their desires, and all fall for her desire.

Rank is the paradox of the world of my people. The limitation of our power, and the hunger for it. It is gained through betrayal, yet treachery is invited against those who acquire it. The most powerful in Underbarren spend their days watching their backs. Unfortunately for them, death hits them straight on the vast majority of the time.

-Razlar Ma'Rahn


	2. Chapter 1: Underbarren

**The Delves Saga: Volume 1: Book one:Rank**

 _Author's Note :First time attempting a fanfic in a while. Advice appreciated. Simply telling me that you like this want me to to continue would mean the world to me._

 **Chapter 1: Underbarren**

It was a dark and stormy night...on the surface anyways. Nanin however was on his way to the Underbarren, the Delven city, just one small part of the world of Nirn's largest underground dwemer country simply known as darkness.

He rode swiftly in the darkness that surrounded everything. Not a single candle was to be found in this part of the dwemer cave that that the dwemers had long since abandoned. Fortunately none were needed, as the Delve opposed an enhanced version of night eye that not even the Cat Race known as the Khajit could match known as Ultravison, letting them see perfectly outside the absolute darkest places in the Underbarren, allowing Nanin to half ride and half cling his Mount, not wanting to leave a trace of his visit.

Ironically enough he was riding the Delves choice of mount: an unnatural half-mole half-lizard abomination. He made his way along through a long tunnel, letting him know that he was close to the city.

A while back, Nanin had closed his eyes for a moment, imagining he knew exactly how to get to all of his destinations. His left hand then flared up, surrounded by magical energy. This cast a clairvoyance spell creating magical blue mist to appear, which only he was able to see and detect. Despite being a warrior, his bad sense of direction meant he had to take the time to learn how to make this spell undetectable, as it led him to the city's entrance. He felt nervous as this was the most guarded area of the Underbarren.

Nanin got off the mount. He took a deep breath, and stepped outside of the shadows. Spiders were leering down at him. he was a delve of the city, and regularly passed through many places here undetected, but he was at the Academy, and had heard that spiders here nowadays would attack for no real reason. For that he decided to disable the clairvoyance spell for now.

He made his way through the area, when a stranger whispered to him, asking if he was a student, or a master. Nanin told him that only a master is allowed around this time. The stranger drew closer, wearing a robe and a Daedric Mask. When he wore both, it provided him with complete immunity to fire.

He greeted the Masked One, and the Masked One greeted him by Secondborn Ma'Rahn, asking him for his payment. Nanin told him that he shall be compensated, _daring him to doubt the promise of Mistress Ma'Rahn, of the 7th house of Underbarren._

The Masked One realized his error and apologized, bowing to him. He had recently failed a powerful spell, leaving his face horribly disfigured. His nose, his eyebrows, and one of his eyes burnt beyond recognition, hence the mask and robe, hence the named masked one. Mistress Ma'Rahn offered his a sliver of hope he could not turn down.

Nanin was without concern, but he needed the wizard. He told him that his face would be restored the second that he killed Malor Daville, and not a second sooner.

Nanin retrieved his mount, recast his clairvoyance spell, and made his way, passing by a few slave goblins, who knew their roles well, and dared not make eye contact. Nanin was feeling extra cruel that night, and so he let his mount eat one of them, making sure they continued to know their place, as the goblins cowered in fear. The Mole-Lizard spit the bones of the digested goblin at another goblin, killing it, causing the other goblins to scramble. This eased his mind a bit, as he was trying to keep his nerves in check. Feeling much better, he began his way back to House Ma'khan, secure than his Mistress would not figure out he had secret plans.

Dax, Nanin father, and Mistress Ma'Rahn husband knew that their child would come into existence soon, and that he would be male, and a sacrifice to the spider queen Malath, which Mistress hoped would grant House Ma'Rahn the needed favor to win against the coming battle against the Daville's. His emotions were hidden very well. The preparation for the sacrifice was interrupted by news from Nanin, but he was told to bite his tongue and wait for the preparations of the sacrifice. An hour passed, and Nanin was allowed to speak.

Nanin told Mistress that the preparations were complete, and that Malor would soon be no more. Mistress dismissed Dax, telling him that it was time to strike. Dax thought of how he looked forward to killing the Deville clerics, and he also thought about how much he would love to kill the Ma'Rahn clerics just as well. He really didn't care which Delves he killed.

He just wanted to kill Delves...

AN: Who is Malor, and why does Mistress Ma'Rahn want him dead? Who will win the upcoming war? What is Nanin's secret plan? And what is Masked ones real name? Some of of these questions will be answered in the next chapter, which should be out tomorrow. For a sneak peak ask for one in your review or send me a pm. Also, I'm looking for a proofreader, so if you're interested, send me a pm


	3. Chapter 2: The Fall of House Deville

_AN: first time making a fanfic in a long time. Advice and suggestions appreciated. And if you shoot me a pm telling me that you're interested in this story and you want me to continue, I cannot tell you how much that will make me happy._

 **Chapter 2: The end of House Deville**

Nanin had no reason to use his clairvoyance spell now, as he followed the same path of 50 soldiers that marched with him. behind him were 80 goblin slaves, and behind them, 80 zombies. Everyone that saw them knew exactly what was going on. Something that only happened around once a decade. There were going to war, _but who could be their target? One thing was for sure, the Mah'rans were either to take out every single noble, or they would be retaliated against by the other houses instead._

Nanin then kept to the shadows, making sure that his enemies wouldn't see him . The slaves looked around, trying to find a good spot to retreat. a few tried to escape, but Nanin wouldn't let this happen, still staying the shadows, he motioned for his mole-lizard to go after them. they were slaughtered within mere moments The mole lizard eating one of the them and spitting bones as a couple more goblins, causing more senseless murders. The deed done, the chimeric abomination returned to its master.

Nanin whistled, and on cue, his Delves pulled out their enchanted fire arrows, and let loose upon their appointed targets. They hit their targets, setting them on fire, and at the time silencing their vocal cords, the fire silenced as well, the flames burning out as soon their victims heartbeats stopped. It truly was a terrible way to die.

On the other side of the Underbarren, Mistress Ma'rahn, her daughters, and a dozen common clerics were gathered in Malaths unholy square, calling for the daedric spider god! They chanted in unison, combining it into one powerful spell. Liza, one of Mistress's daughters, understood that Nanin's first attack group was in position, sending waves or slow acting poison into the Deville house.

Mistress Deville, her daughters, and five powerful clerics gathered together in in their own unholy square, congregated in worship, They gathered there since they learned that they had fallen in Malalth's disfavor. Mistress Deville knew how powerless they were without her favor, and she felt it first, as the black death entered her lungs,. It wasn't long before this was transferred over to the rest, as they continued to pray, begging the spider king for forgiveness, desperately denying that they'd soon meet the king they always worshiped, and their prayers had been in vain.

Nanin whistled twice this time, putting the slaves into position. Stealth as their ally, they rushed to the mushroom fence, cutting their with their blades. The Secondborn laughed, amazed at how unprepared they were. And then he laughed some more as the slave races triggered the dwemer traps., making a note of of a few specific trap locations.

Nanin knew that after this time other houses must have been watching this attack, the time for stealth was at and end. It was time to show the power of their well earned favor. He rushed in, signaling for his older brother Razzle the battlemage to follow. They made their way into the temple, and Nanin suddenly told Razzle that _they were on a firetrap._ Razzle quickly moved, activating the actual firetrap a few feet away. He was burnt into ash, as if he had never existed, Nanin smiled, which was seen by several Ma'rahn. There was no way they'd dare go up against Nanin.

Back to the Ma'Rhan unholy square, Mistress and her subordinates continued the slow acting poison assaults on House Deville. Malath heard their prayers, making thepoison more painful, hitting many of the remaining clerics.

Meanwhile, Mistress Ma'Rahn went into labor screaming in a daemonic tongue. The baby was coming.

There were many more Deville clerics and soldiers left, along with several nobles, and now lighting strikes were taking them out, but not quickly enough. Dax stood amazed at how well _so many Deville were able to dodge so much lighting_ , and realized that he had to step it up himself. slashing through foe after foe until none were left, high on adrenaline , Dax then went for Mistress Deville, only to find that the poison had finally done its work.

That was it. . House Mah'rahn had won. The only thing left was to thank Malath with their sacrifice. Liza, one of Mistress's daughters looked at the new baby, demanding she _name the sacrifice._ She screamed and named it _Razlar,_ putting it on the altar, and brandished her sacrificial knife...

Authors note: Man that was dark! Very fitting for the chapter that it's based off of.

Will the author kill off Elder Scrolls version of Drizzt Du'Urdon? Did the Masked One kill off Malor behind the scenes? Will Nanin truly get away with slaughtering his brother in front of several nobles?

Still looking for a proofreader.


	4. Chapter 3: The Child

**Chapter 3: The Child**

 _Authors note: I feel like chapter 4 of Homeland was a filler chapter, so I'm skipping it. However, there's so much good material in chapter 3 that I'm cutting it into 2 chapters._

Sacrificial knife branded, Mistress Ma'Rahn began to praise Malath, thanking her for such a glorious victory.

Suddenly, a spy working for Mistress Ma'Rahn burst into room, screaming at Mistress, letting her know of _Razzle the first born had been wiped out of existence._ Mistress Ma'Rahn smiled at this, thinking of the favor she'd get from 2 sacrifices. But Liza warned her that she _was unlikely to conceive again._ Mistress screamed daemonic curses at her body, and dropped the blade. Liza tried to calm her Mistress, only receive a harsh slap upon her face. She then calmed herself, and _thanked Malath for the gift of the Delve child._ Liza grumbled, remarking that _he was just a male._

Dax had just heard the news from another soldier. Razzle was dead. And though the word was he fell on a dwemer fire trap, deep down he knew differently. Nanin had likely pushed him on the firetrap.

Despite his fighting skills, and his perceptive nature Dax had only been around for 10 decades, which wasn't long considering that Delves live for several centuries. He was picked as a replacement husband to the centuries old Mistress because of his fertility potential first and foremost, although this did lead him to become the Ma'rahn's weapons master as his marriage brought him more into the limelight, making his efforts more apparent.

Azaz, the young apprentice mage, a rank that often got him spat on saw Malor move through the door into the highest chamber of the spire. He almost felt sympathy for him, as he was about to fight to the death with the Masked One, and he watched them confront one another.

Malor moved towards Masked one, telling him that _he heard of his requested presence._ Masked One kept his back to him, deciding to do this quickly before he learned of his House's defeat. Malor was close to graduation, and would be made into a fully fledged wizard, but he had failed a recent important mission, something which he suspected might be the end of him, as his master was the Masked One, and he was very unforgiving.

Suddenly, the doors exploded around Malor, showering the room with splinters. Azaz was thrown against the wall, which did nothing but excite him.

Malor stumbled, and did a quick roll, evading a lighting bolt from the Masked One. He didn't like how the show had started, but he had been given the best seat in the house, front and center. Regardless, he knew he had to try to escape, for he was no match for his Master, who had taught him everything he knew.

The fight went on for quite some time, eventually leading the the Masked One's private enchanting room, which was bright for the Underbarren. This put Malor at even more of a disadvantage, as Malor, like most Delves hated the light, but this was something Masked One was used to. He came up with a plan however. If he could make it to the courtyard, he might just have a bit of an advantage.

He finally found the exit door in the blasted blinding light, and tried to open it, and was shot with a blast a magical energy, causing great harm. He _cursed the place._ As it was magically locked. Masked One shot a wave of magical energy towards hims again, but he dodged it, and while he was charging something more powerful, he cast an opening spells, and sped out the room. Masked One hissed at Malor, telling him that _he only delayed the inevitable._

Malor c _ursed_ Masked One back. The chase continued for some time, and suddenly came across an Oblivion Gate. There were many in the Underbarren, filled with demons who saw Delves as on one of their own, and left them alone, they also often had a second gate entrance, aa this likely would lead to another part of the city. He quickly jumped inside. Immediately seeing another gate, he jumped through that one as well. He was suddenly outside, in the courtyard like he had hoped, praising the Spider King for his luck

 _AN: Again, so much good material here. Cutting this into 2 parts._

 _Remember, if you want a sneak peek or what's next, just ask!_

 _Again, thank you Slag-Heap for helping fix typos._


	5. Chapter 4: The Child 2

**Chapter 4: The Child 2**

Liza looked into Razlar's eyes, commenting on just how different they were. He was only out of the womb for a few hours, yet his eyes were glowing bright red. Mistress commented that _he was blind,_ and made her way to him, ready to sacrifice the cripple. Children with birth defects were not something that the delves considered worth keeping around. Liza stopped her however, noting that _he was following her finger, wondering what untapped power those eyes possessed..._

Glass suddenly fell on from the sky towards Malor, cutting his own face sharply as he shifted his weight to avoid more broken glass. To his surprise he quickly realized that it was a mirror that had fell on him. He suddenly heard the faceless one groan about his mirror, even more outraged. Malor indeed was at an advantage now, he may have been injured, but there was nothing more vulnerable than a mage unable to keep his temper, as it made it harder for them to concentrate on their spell-casting.

Malor cast a paralyzation spell on Masked One, holding him in place. He then asked him _why he wanted him dead. Masked One told him that it was because he broke his mirror._

Malor asked him another question, asking him _why he wanted him dead before that._ He told him that _it didn't matter._ Malor then told Masked One that t _he house shall hear about this_ , causing Masked One to reveal that _House Deville was no more, thanks to House Ma'Rahn, suddenly_ breaking free of the paralyzation spell that should have lasted longer In Masked One's rage his Daedric Mask was removed, letting his disfigurement terrifying Malor into a natural paralyzation of fear! The now Unmasked One cackled, summoning a Fireball. It was Masked One's final mistake, as the foolish Master Mage critically fizzled the spell, melting his entire head into ash.

Minutes passed by as Malor remained in his own shock, He examined the ash, and was surprised to find an a small shiny stone. It had likely caused the massive spell fizzle

A voice spoke saying, complimenting himself on his own perfect timing. Out of the shadows, Azaz suddenly revealed himself.

Elsewhere, Liza was speaking to Mistress Ma'Rahn, mentioning how in a few years if she kept to her studies she could become a cleric, and asked her mother permission to return to the academy. Mistress shook her head, telling her that she was needed elsewhere, to teach Razlar the basics.

Malor wiped some blood off his face, and nursed his wound. He was badly wounded from the glass. He asked why Azaz killed his master. Azaz spat on the ex-Masked One's corpse, and mentioned that _in the time as his apprentice he didn't learn a thing that he didn't teach himself, and was treated like a lowly cleaning slave, and that he was going to send him to be trained as a warrior instead of a mage. Then he came by and made it convenient to seek his revenge. Azaz thanked him, and said that this was goodbye_ as he aimed brandished a throwing knife.

Malor stopped him, and said hat he had a better idea. _Why not burn the body, and have Malor himself take over as the Masked One. He'd actually be his mentor, and teach him well. In the meantime, they could work on taking out Ma'Rahn._ Azaz agreed.

 _AN: Wow, that was four pages!_

Remember, if you want a sneak peek or what's next, just ask!

Again, thank you Slag Heap for fixing typos.


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